A Taste Of Moules

 Whatt;s agood fall dish ? Moules or the American version  mussels.They're a wonderful chill chaser, stilly briny with a taste of  lingering summer. Their broth is amazing too and can even made better with simple additions like beans.

Melissa Clark experimented with this in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. MOules or mussels are excellent with a simple garlic, white wine and butter sauce. Their juices cook up well with it and this is an added treat. Theyre's nothing like dipping hunks of crusty French bread in this for stretching out the dish and that lovely buttery,briny flavor. Ms Clark adds cannellini or white beans aong with rosemary springs and hot pepper flakes. There's also vegetable broth too in the recipe and the usual white wine. what is also good about this recipe is that's it's thrifty - something seafood is not these days. she can buy a rwo pound bag of mussels for around nine dollars.It's a few dollars less than shrimp and a lot less than lobster. They're also the best example of sustainable seafood too. You can buy farmed ones, constantly rated as one of the best foods to eat. Another plus about this dish it can be made in under just twenty minutes.It's a great weekend dish but can easily be whipped up on a busy weeknight.

One of the best aspects of this dish is that it's so simple evne a novice home chef can ace it. first come the beans which are briefly braised in olive oil with the red pepper flakes and garlic cloves (the recipe calls for eight of these but you can decrease if you want to tame down the garlicky flavor).If you're ambitious you cna cook your own beans, but using canned is much easier. At this point they're tender and the mussels should be added.As the mussels are steamed they release their liquid or juices which the beans soak up. THis makes them plumper and more complex. Rosemary is also added and this adds a punch of astringency.This is also when the vegetable stock and a quarter cup of white wine is added too.Keep inmind to rinse and clean the mussels before adding to the beans.Use cold running water for this and pull off the sharp hairly clumps called beards that nest around  the edge of the shells, You can use a fingernail for this but if that doesn't work then try a sharp knife. These are added and then cooked for five to eight minutes. You can serve this with a simple tomato salad or just a tossed one. For true Belgian goodness you can also serve fries with this too and dip them in the broth.

A hot bowl of moules and beans are the perfect fall dish.They're beyond delicious and easy to nake. Try a bowlof them for a tasty week day or weekend dinner.

Easy As Pie Bars

 There's nothing like an end of season pie to highliught late summer harvests. Yet apie at a picnic can be messy, especially eaten out doors. Try a pie bar instead. You cn bake and bring it anywhere, the back yard or the beach ,

Melissa Clark wrote about pie bars in her A Good Appetite Column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. These bars take the fruits and crusty flavors to a new level witohut the mess. Traditional pies can be messy. Their insides drip out. Crust crumble into a million  pieces. it hard to eat a piece of pie while ballancing a paper plate on your lap. Pie bars allow home bakers to bake them days ahead , cut them and  put them on plate.Guests and family can just grab one and nibble as they mingle. There's no gooey mess to deal with afterwards. Ms. Clark compares it this way, a pie bar isto a  pie as a hamburger is to a steak.It's totable and easy to eat . The crust should be sturdy and Ms Clark recommends prebaking both the given sortbread and grahan crackers, She likes the first for it's flavor and sturdiness. The shortbread should be a dark brown.It'll be harder to gauge the grahahn cracker one because of its' color. The color will deepend ever so slightly so keep an eye on it.

As for the filling Ms. Clark gives three. There is a raspberry crunch one with a a combo of five (!) cups of  fresh raspberries and half a cup of raspberry jam. There's a crunch topping of rolled oats, almonds , brown sugar and butter.Everything is flattened down to create three layers of fruity, sweet buttery goodness. Coconut lovers will go wild for the recipe that has a cocoonut pie filling laced with dark chocolate.It's rich with eggs and butter along with unsweetened coconut milk.  These two hav e the base of shortbread which adds to the flavor.Enjoy peach season with creamy peach pie bars. This starts with a graham cracker crust made ven more crunchier with pecans. The filling has a rich mix of cream cheese and heavy cream along with one whole egg. You will need three cups of peaches, preferably fresh. These can be peeled or unpeeled (go with the unpeeled - less work). The peaches are simmered in a sugary sauce and then placed on top of the already pired heavy cream and cream cheese mix.

Try a pie bar this Labor Day weekend. They're a fun and tasty way to enjoy the season's harvest.  They're better than pie .

Celebrating The Persian New Year

Before there was Passover and Easter there was the Persian New Year or Nowruz. This holiday brought in the new Spring season along with a variety of different dishes.It shows Iranian cooking at it's best,, full of colors and flavors.

Melissa Clark wrote about this precursor of Spring holidays in her A Good Appetite in today's New York Times Food section.Nowruz is one of those non-religious holidays, similar to our Thanksgiving in the sense that all religions, Muslim, Jewish and Christian celebrate this ancient Zoroastrian holiday that has been celebrated continually for 3,000 years, millenniums before Islamic conquest .Preparations for it include many rites that are familiar to us. There are dyed eggs, complete housecleaning and copious amounts of herbs. Nowruz occurred on March 13th of this year however the holiday dishes can be enjoyed all season long. the holiday lasts for thirteen days with feasting and visiting.Los Angeles has the most Iranians however it surprisingly lacks Persian restaurant. Most holiday dinners occur at home with home cooking and ancient recipes. The dishes are fragrant , diverse and highly refined, based on complex culinary techniques.The cooking influenced Middle Eastern ,Moroccan, Northern Indian and Turkish cuisines with its' highly sensuous recipes. Persian cooking is known for its' fragrant and flavorful tastes.

A Persian kitchen is full of aromas. It is perfumed with flowers and herbs such as roses fenugreek and mint along with spices such as saffron, sumac and cardamon .The Iranians were using pomegranates long before they became trendy and barberry a type of cranberry like berry.  Nowruz dishes contain these and are chock full of symbolism. There is sabzi polo mahi  an herbed rice with fish that represents life and rebirth , fresh green herbs that means renewal and rebirth while the rice symbolizes prosperity.Kuku sabzi a, type of frittata stuffed with herbs to represent fertility. Herbs are in abundance in Persian cooking which represent the earth Ms. Clark gives the recipe for Persian rice which is basmati rice redolent with such herbs as parsley, cilantro mint along with basil, fenugreek chives and tarragon.Saffron is also added along with ghee for flavor and color. Sweets are also a big part of Nowruz. Toot, a rose water flavored almond paste represents a life full of love and sweetness is also made.It's a homemade version of marzipan made with ground almonds, confectioners sugar and rose water that's molded into hearts or cute figures like bunnies.

Nowrus is the well that all spring holidays come from. It also is a showcase of Persian cooking at its best, full of flavor and fragrance. The dishes can be made even now as the season continues on.

A Thick Juicy Steak Done Right

In some parts of the country it's still hot enough to grill outdoors. What  better to celebrate the last tendrils of summer than with a thick juicy steak, perfectly grilled and seasoned.It's actually an easy cook that just requires only using half of your grill. The  result is a crusty outer layer with a meltingly tender inside.

Melissa Clark wrote about this in her A Good Appetite column in today's New York Times Food section, Nothing beats a good mouthful of  steak and she recommends using 1 1/2 inch thick bone in rib eye steaks. For those less expensive cuts Ms. Clark sprinkles on some blue cheese crumbles, letting them melt on top, Her choice is Jasper Hill Bayley Hazen Blue,a top quality blue cheese aged at the   Jasper   Hill Farm  in Vermont. You  could also use any good blue cheese from your local cheese shop or better grocery store. She  also add chives and butter. I would prefer an herbed butter , using a blend of Kerrygold with different herbs like rosemary and parsley instead of the cheese or just melted butter in the style of Peter Luger  Steakhouse for dipping steak pieces. Ms. Clark also suggests finishing with a hot sauce mix and again that's up to the individual.

The grilling method is a bit different. than the usual way. Ms. Clark uses indirect  heat to cook. The method involves building a fire on only one side of the grill, leaving the other side bare. First sear the meat on  both sides over the open fire then move it over to the unlit side to let it cook at a leisurely pace. This method is best suited to thick bone in steaks that are at least an inch and a half in thickness.Cooking them indirectly will ensure that the cut is evenly cooked .Done over a constant fire the meats would wind up being too charred..This way , there's still a lightly charred crust but with a tender and done pink inside. After the cooking the steaks are transferred to a cutting board for ten minutes to let the meat rest. Here. Ms.Clark mixes the butter , chives and hot sauce and them pours  it  over the steak. I would just let them be save for a quick brush with melted butter before serving.

Nothing beats a thick juicy steak. Cook it the half grill method for the best    possible tenderness and flavor. Doing this will make these meaty beauties even more desirable.

A Wild Spin On Schnitzel

Schnitzel has always been associated with veal.Considering the heaviness of the dish,this light,delicately flavored meat works well with it.After all a stronger tasting meat might clash with the breadcrumbs and the residual taste of the oil.Yet that's being challenged.Many foodie's are trying a pork version that stands up well to the other flavors in the recipe.It makes for a heartier meal, perfect for a fall night. Melissa Clark featured pork schnitzel in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.Pork is in some ways a better medium to cook than veal.Veal is light. ,and easy to digest.It's a lean meat where as the other is fatty.However pork is also richer tasting and also forgiving. Home chefs can screw up with it and it's not so bad.It i easier to work with and a better meat to cook on those busy week days.Ms , Clark recommends using a boneless loin cutlet, preferably one with a ring of fat around it.Like the veal version it should be pounded with the smooth side of meat mallet.( although you can use a drinking glass and wax paper in a pinch)She dredges the pieces in panko breadcrumbs but you can use regular plain or unflavored ones.Fry up in safflower peanut or vegetable oil until golden and crisp. Ms Clark and I differ in what the sides would be with a pork schnitzel.She recommends homemade pickles ,I would go for the more traditional spaetzles with mushroom gravy.She gives the recipe ,a simple, one for the pickles , wanting something tart and crispy to complement the rich pork taste of the schnitzel.If you don't feel like making these, you can just spritz the cutlets with fresh lime juice.Most use lemon to cut the oily taste and the aftertaste too, however, the other adds a more refreshing zing.I would have a side of plain spaetzles , possibly with a homemade mushroom gravy or spaetzles with red cabbage if I want zest.Ms Clark also recommends serving the meat with a serving of lingenberry jam.This last is also a tart palate cleanser that would go well with the cutlets.Again this is a good idea but I would serve an unsweetened apple sauce to balance the meat's strong earthy taste.She also tosses chopped scallions on the schnitzel too, which would works and is a nice finish. Pork schnitzel is a nice spin on the traditional Austrian one.It is heartier, perfect for the cool fall nights.Have it with pickles or red cabbage and spaetzles for zest.The dish is an easy one and a tasty alternative to the veal version.

Time For Blood Oranges

Nothing beats a dreary Day than a sweet piece of citrus.January is the time of and for oranges.This includes the very juicy blood orange.This lovely globe is not only healthy but also very tasty too. It was the star of Melissa Clark's A Good Appetite column in today's New York Times Dining section. blood oranges are always a good fruit choice because they 're so versatile. You can add the wedges to a salad or try it with black bass and roasted fennel as Ms. Clark suggests.She also recommends a yummy looking upside down cake with them .It includes the orange rind along with cornmeal for a denser texture.You can also make a rich tasting juice with them as they do in Rome. Blood oranges originated in Italy in the ash rich soil of Sicily.There are several kinds.The Italians love the Tarocco with it's sweet berry like taste.Unfortunately it's a hard sell here. Americans like Moros because of their rich, red color. They're used in both restaurants and bars,adding to dinners and fancy cocktails. these are the best for juicing.They produce an almost cranberry hue , unlike regular oranges which give their juice a carrot like color. Some Moros as well as other blood oranges are grown in the Italian like climate of California.Other blood oranges are coming from Texas and Arizona. This is the time to chase those winter blues away.Have a blood orange to do that.It's sweet, rich taste will surely make you smile.